The Real-World Perspectives on Poverty Solutions fall speaker series will explore the ways poverty intersects with a variety of issues, including the impact of cash transfers on child development, the high cost of mass deportation, how billionaires advanced school vouchers, and more. 

Staff, faculty and community members are welcome to attend the series, which also is available as a one-credit course for University of Michigan students. Most of the lectures take place at noon Fridays at the School of Social Work. In-person talks include coffee, cookies, and the chance to ask speakers questions; those unable to attend can watch a livestream on YouTube. 

Poverty Solutions, which is a university-wide initiative that conducts action-based research on the prevention and alleviation of poverty, partnered with multiple U-M departments and units to host a diverse slate of experts in policy and practice from across the nation for the annual speaker series. 

The speaker series, with titles of their talks, includes:

• Sept. 26: Katherine Magnuson, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at University of Wisconsin: “The Effect of a Monthly Unconditional Cash Transfer on Families and Children’s Development through Age 4: Findings from the Baby’s First Years Study.”
• Sept. 29, at the Michigan Union: Wawa Gatheru, founder and executive director of Black Girl Environmentalist, “From Intersections to Action: Creating Equitable Climate Solutions Together.” RSVP for this talk at myumi.ch/XyQzX. 
• Oct. 10: Courtney Smith, founder and CEO of Detroit Phoenix Center, as part of a panel titled, “Detroit’s Rapid Rehousing Program Designed by Youth, For Youth: A Panel on Meaningful Youth Engagement.”
• Oct. 17: William D. Lopez, clinical associate professor of health behavior and health equity at the School of Public Health: “The High Cost of Mass Deportation.”
• Oct. 24: Joey Mattingly, associate professor and vice chair of research at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy: “The Economics of Medication Access: Drug Prices, Insurance Design, and the Patient Experience.”
• Oct. 31: Monica Lewis-Patrick, founder and CEO of We The People of Detroit: “Lessons from the Water Warrior on Community Coalition Building for Water Justice.”
• Nov. 7: Kathleen Clancey, program manager of SummerWorks, and Shamar Herron, executive director of Michigan Works! Southeast, as part of a panel titled, “Employing Gen Z: Summer Youth Employment as a Path to Economic Mobility and More Inclusive Workplaces.”
• Nov. 14: Josh Cowen, professor of education policy at Michigan State University College of Education: “The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers.”